[pct-l] Thru hiker questions, snow-related

[patti kulesz]

Ken, micro spikes are awesome I loved mine and NO they are NOT required...just a safety thing incase u fall, never had to use my ice axe thank goodness but it all depends on the snow pack that year, so hold out until the end. Yes u'll need to mail stuff to urself and about 4-5 pairs of shoes will do depending on what kind and how fast u wear them out. I wouldn't buy ur extra shoes until u've done a few weeks on the trail first. I ended up changing shoes after two weeks b/c my favorite shoes I had been wearing for four years were too narrow for me after walking in the dessert for a few weeks. I just had the store send them to me. A16 in SD will send shoes to u, if they have them, shipping is free and u get a 10% discount so basically u don't have to pay tax on them. As far as costs go for hiking AFTER gear...that all depends on how much u party babe. Jack Shit did it this year for $1000.00! He made his own pack and tent, got food from the hiker boxes for
 resupply. U can also find almost brand new shoes and other stuff in those boxes once in awhile, which he did often too. For the same reason that I said about having to change my shoes...same thing happens with other people and other gear. As far as ur bag goes...20-25 is the average. Just depends on how cold u get. the lowest the temps got was about 20 degrees. Again depends on the weather that year. As for the neo air...I totally loved mine...most comfy pad I ever used, rolled up small and kept me waaaaay warmer than any other pad I used. I was actually freezing int the sierras until I got the neo air. Most of the people I talked had no issues with it gettin a hole or anything. Just make sure u use Tyvek under it and keep it away from the micro spikes....lol I wrapped mine in a pack towel just to be safe and then kept the towel under my torso area when I slept. the towel also saved me two bucks at Kennedy Meadows when I took a shower! Hope I answered
 all ur questions.

patti Sugar Moma PCT 09!
www.hikestrong2010.com hiking again in 2010 for cancer! 

--- On Thu, 1/14/10, ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com> wrote:

From: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Thru hiker questions, snow-related
To: krb84108 at yahoo.com, pct-l at backcountry.net
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010, 1:18 PM

Hi, Ken!

For any of your snow-related questions, you'll find relevant and practical 
answers at http://postholer.com/SnowTravel. We offer free, 3-day snow skills 
training courses for all hikers who wish to extend their backpacking season 
into and through the winter months or those, like yourself, who will be 
thru-hiking a long trail and won't be able to avoid large or long patches of 
snow on the Passes (or worse). Ours is a non-profit business that hopes to 
improve the pleasure, safety, and enjoyment of your trip by practical skills 
training.

Mtnned

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <krb84108 at yahoo.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 7:42 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Thru hiker questions


> Hello everyone!
>
> I am looking at doing a thru hike in 2011 and I’d like to start getting 
> budget/gear list together.  I have found a lot of information already but 
> wanted to talk to more people who have actually done it.  I bought an 
> older version of Yogi’s handbook and am probably going to get the PCT 
> Atlas but wanted to get more beta and thoughts than what are provided in 
> these guides.
>
> -Are traction aids required starting in Kennedy Meadow?
> -If so would Katoohla Micro Spikes meet this need?
> -Is an ice axe necessary and if so from where to where on the trail?
> -I was looking at getting a bag that can take me down to 25-30 F and still 
> be warm.  Is this a good target?
> -I was planning on using a Neoair for my pad.  Any thoughts on this 
> surviving the trip or parts of the trip (say North of Kennedy Meadows)?
> -About how many pairs of footwear should I budget for the thru hike?
> -Is good replacement footwear easy to do on the trail or do I need to plan 
> on shipping myself some on the hike?
> -I will probably be using my esbit stove along the trail I’m guessing I 
> will need to plan on shipping myself tabs along the way.  Am I correct in 
> this assumption?
> -I’ve seen a lot of estimates for cost to hike the trail and while I admit 
> it’s going to vary from person to person, how much should I budget for 
> assuming I have all my gear to start out with?  If you could break this 
> into approximate $ for food, hostels, etc  and resupply gear 
> (shoes/socks/anything that breaks) it would be helpful.
>
> Thanks in advance for any help.  If I’m posting this in the wrong place 
> please point me in the right direction.
>
> Best
>
> Ken
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> 

_______________________________________________
Pct-l mailing list
Pct-l at backcountry.net
To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l

List Archives:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/